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One member of the PDP 8 family of computers, the model PDP 8/e, became the first commercially successful minicomputer. Its 12 Bit wide processor core looks strange from todays sight, but the instructionset was and is revolutionary. The PDP 8 was the best selling system at 1973 and influence the computer industry for the next 25 years.
1965 as development started, no integrated circuits were available, therefore the first models consists of a large number of little modules, so called FlipChips instead. Unfortunately I don’t own such a machine, but I have some of these modules in my collection.
Please proceed to my PDP8 collection...
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Dec started this family of processors 1970 with the pdp 11/20. Around a 16 Bit wide processor core, a great vriety of compatible machines were built. At the end of development about 1990 more than 500 000 systems were sold.
As large scale integrated circuits enter the market at begin of the eighties, DEC placed the pdp 11/70 on two chips, which sits on a single ceramic carrier.
please proceed to my PDP11 Collection...
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In the beginning, DEC produced small modules for electronic-laboratories, which were used to build up more complex systems. DEC named these modules 'Flip Chips' and trademarked this name.
1959 DEC started to develop computers, their first engeneering was the PDP-1 (Programmable Data Processor). It took only a few months for engineer Ben Gurley to invent a very flexible 18 bit processor. Of course this computer was build up from Flip Chips.
In this time the technicians only had transistors, diodes, resistors and capasitors, so they had to use more than thousand modules for relativly simple things.
Only few years later, the first integrated circuits were developed, DEC assembled them to more complex Flip Chips. So DEC could reduce the quantity of modules, therefore the price for the hardware cheapened remarkably.
Finally they enlarged the printed circuit boards for the the PDP-8 series, now the 12 bit wide processor core needs only three printed circuit boards.
In the year 1973 DEC systems were bestsellers. After a short time they started to name their computers 'Personal Computers', even though their price was as "personal" as a private jet.
But undoubtidly, the first step was done.
please proceed to my Flip Chip collection...
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A computer system usually consists not only of a central processing unit (CPU) where the work is done, it needs also units for data input, output and for keeping huge amount of data for longer times. These units are called peripheric units.
Please proceed to my collection of peripheric units ...
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